Nigeria will ban travellers coming from India, Brazil and Turkey because of concerns about the rampant spread of coronavirus in those countries, a presidential committee said on Sunday.

“Non-Nigerian passport holders and non-residents who visited Brazil, India or Turkey within Fourteen (14) days preceding travel to Nigeria, shall be denied entry into Nigeria,” Boss Mustapha, chairman of the presidential steering committee on COVID-19, said in a statement.

The travel ban announced on Sunday does not apply to passengers who transited through those countries.

The ban will take effect from May 4, the statement said.

All passengers arriving in Nigeria will now have to show a negative COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours of travel rather than the previous 96-hour period.